‘We’ve got to start putting our money back into our city’: Public Works talks roads and new park

Roads and Rotary Park were the focus from Public Works Director Mike Perry during the Jan. 23 Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole meeting.

HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Roads and Rotary Park were the focus from Public Works Director Mike Perry during the Jan. 23 Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole meeting. At the first meeting of the year, and the first for newly elected councilmembers, Perry gave an update on the complex bidding process for the new Rotary Park at Pardue Lane, while sharing necessary road updates.

Following a presentation to the committee, Perry urged present members to prioritize road repairs for the city in the near future. He said that this fiscal year, he had requested half a million more dollars for the department so they could get ahead of necessary repairs on deteriorating roads.

“We need to start looking at more money in infrastructure, not just roads, but sidewalks and so forth,” Perry told the committee. “We’ve got to start putting our money back into our city. It’s been like this for years and it’s catching up to us pretty quick.”

With over 100 miles of roadways in Hopkinsville, Perry explained that low traffic roads are expected to stay in good condition for around 20 years. However, in high traffic areas, the lifespan of a road is about 12 to 15 years. Larger vehicles that frequent roads, like solid waste trucks, can also quickly break down older roadways, according to Perry. He added that ideally, they need to be paving roughly eight miles of road a year.

Pardue Lane park update

Perry assuring the committee that progress is being made behind the scenes to develop Rotary Park on Pardue Lane. Unprecedented grant issues and high costs slowed the project down last year, with the community anticipating a large inclusive playground and recreational area.

Public Works initially bid out the north and south side of the park together, with the lowest bid coming in at $1.6 million. The Hopkinsville City Council reevaluated after this and decided to break up the project and open the bid again. The lowest rebid that came in for just the south side was $889,000, which was accepted. Grant funds and reallocated FEMA funds will cover the entire cost, leaving $163,000 leftover.

The southern portion of the park includes the playground, but the planned basketball court, parking lot, and pavilion on the north side will be delayed. This smaller portion of the park will be included into phase two at an undetermined time. Work on phase one is expected to begin soon, with sponsorships and additional grants expected to come in to help fund the inclusive playground.

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